The Meaning of Action: Exploring Human Behavior - Essay Sample

Introduction

Baumeister and Bushman explain about different aspects of human behavior. The authors first describe the correlation between action and the meaning of what people do. They state that what every individual does is partially related to the purpose that of the work. Additionally, they explain ways that people think they can make use of meaning. The authors state that people first identify their actions which carry different meanings. In the chapter, there are diverse levels of meaning, which include; higher and lower levels. There is a relationship between the two levels where the higher level is achieved through engaging in, the lower level. They state that the higher levels are meaningful and therefore have more attachment to emotions.

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Similarly, the chapter explains that meanings can change. The lower level has more influence and gets people to think; therefore, to help people change behavior, one should first engage the person to switch to lower levels. Also, the authors explain that there are goals, plans, and intentions, which greatly influence a person's action. They argue that a person's actions achieve meaning from a project, which is a goal. People, therefore, have to set and pursue their intentions to find meaning in their efforts. To achieve a goal, one has to have a hierarchy to follow in getting to them. The authors argue that persons have to plan to support the authority of goals by developing a defined path. In the process of developing the hierarchy, people make mistakes. The standard errors include underestimation of time and the cost needed to accomplish the goals

The authors also explore the aspect of freedom of action as a significant part of human life. They compare it with animals and conclude that unlike human beings, they make simple choices in natural ways. The chapter also explains that there are people who are freer than others. Some external factors constrain those who are less open.

Moreover, the authors argue that free action comes from the inside. They use the self-determination theory to explore this concept, where they explain that there are intrinsic and extrinsic types of motivation which justify that motivations are never equal. Also, the book literature explains that in day to day life people have to make choices and it can be done through the two steps of choosing which entail; the first step is narrowing down the list of options it is then followed by a comparison of the few remaining in the list. They explain that decisions are influenced by four factors, which include; risk aversion, the certainty effect, temporal discounting, and keeping options open.

Social Cognition

In the episode, the authors begin by defining social cognition, and they state that it is a discipline that explores thinking by human beings about people and social relationships. They claim that people think about other persons more than anything else. The chapter explains that the human mind is inclined towards participating in social aspects and that their thinking is limited by the cognitive miser meaning that people are reluctant to think.

It further explains that three factors guide human thinking and they include; getting the right answer to a question or issue, getting a preferred conclusion and getting a correct answer or verdict in the fastest way. The chapter also explains that there are two types of processes in human thoughts, and that is automatic and controlled processes. The two are distinguished by four factors, namely; control, efficiency, intention, and effort. Similarly, it also talks about attributions, which refer to the conclusions that people make about events in their lives. The authors state that there are two forms of attribution, and they encompass internal and external. Internal stable attribution focuses on ability while unstable is centered on effort. On the other hand, firm external attribution is all about the difficulty of a task during an unbalanced focus on luck. It also explores the attribution error, which implies that people are always biased in the way they judge the behavior of others. Besides, it explains the co-variation principle stating that it explains the cause of the action. The law argues that there are three types of co-variation factors, and they include; distinctiveness, consensus, and consistency. The chapter also elucidates on heuristic factors as determinants of judgments that people make. The factors judge the likelihood of an event occurring. There are three heuristics, and they entail simulation, anchoring, and adjustments.

In social cognition regarding sex partners, there are errors and biases. One of the mistakes is having information overload, which is too much having too much sequence that the ability to make a decision is hampered. Shifting and estimation bring biased counts of sexual partners. The two types of information that people can have access to regarding sexual partners are statistical information and case history. The authors conclude that some researchers insinuate that people are stupid because of several cognitive errors.

Reference

Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. (2010). Social psychology and human nature, brief version. Nelson Education.